His Name is Kal
by Esther Huffleclaw
Summary: When a mysterious person saves Lex's life then vanishes, he is determined to find and thank him.


Eyes 'like the night of cloudless climes and starry skies' hovered over Lex, relief rushing in to wash away the worry that lurked in their depths. Distant shouting drifted closer as he tried to push himself up into a sitting position, never taking his gaze from those eyes even as they flickered away toward the voices. Disjointed, jumbled images rolled through his memory, coalescing into one bright point of certainty: "I could have sworn I hit you."

Those eyes flashed back to his face, a crooked smile gracing the young man's lips. A crashing and thrashing behind Lex twisted his head around and he blinked, baffled. People in white suits reminiscent of hazmat gear surrounded him and his rescuer, wielding complicated things that looked like science fiction weapons glowing with an eerie greenish light. "Sorry, Kal," one of them said. "You'd best come quietly."

The young man—Kal—stood up and nodded, the smile sliding off of his face, leaving behind a stoic resignation. The white drones closed in around him, except for one who gestured toward Lex. "What about him?"

"Leave him," another one replied. "If he talks about this, no one will believe him."

Lex got to his feet and watched as they piled into a white van and drove away. He wasn't sure if _he_ believed what he had seen. What the hell had just happened?

* * *

Lex went over the incident again and again. He had an excellent memory for details, and he was sure that Kal had been struck by the Porsche when it went over the side of the bridge. In that moment, he'd been positive that he had killed someone… again.

'Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.' A human could not have walked away without a scratch after being hit by a car then falling off of the bridge into the river. The only explanation was that Kal was not human. Which also explained the drones who'd marched him away, probably back to some lab he'd escaped.

Lex drummed his fingers on his desk, staring unseeing through the window. He owed Kal his life, and a Luthor always paid his debts.

* * *

Lex strode out of his father's hospital room, closing the door with a soft click behind him despite the nearly overwhelming desire to slam and rage, to storm through the hospital, leaving destruction in his wake. Was it weakness that made him save Lionel's life in the midst of the tornado? Part of him wished he had left him to die, even while he recoiled from the thought. _He's all I have!_

Turning toward the waiting area, he reached for his phone. He would make some calls, get the best specialists on the case. Bumping into someone, he looked up to apologize, and his hand stopped halfway into his pocket, his eyes widening in disbelief. "Kal?"

Dusty smudges obscured Kal's features and his dark hair was in wild disarray, but Lex would have known those eyes anywhere. Now they widened in something like dismay that quickly turned to recognition. A flash of white teeth became a genuine smile as Kal met Lex's eyes and engulfed his hand in a strong, warm grip.

"I've been looking for you." Lex squeezed Kal's hand. "I owe you my life and I'd like to repay you somehow."

Kal's broad shoulders rose in a shrug, his grin turning bashful. "I don't need repayment."

"Kal, you saved my life." Glancing around the crowded hospital, Lex frowned. "What brings you to the Smallville Medical Centre? Is there anything I can do?"

Glancing over his shoulder, Kal shook his head. "The doctors said she'll be all right." He turned back, and his eyes went wide, his hand going slack in Lex's grasp, his gaze directed over Lex's shoulder.

Lex turned around, his hand sliding out of Kal's. Three men in black suits and ties with dark glasses pushed through the crowd toward them, looking for all the world like Men in Black. "What the hell?" Turning back to Kal, Lex cursed. He was gone.

Though he knew it would be futile, Lex scanned the crowd for any sign of dark tousled hair, his fingers curling into his palms in frustration. A heavy hand fell on his shoulder, and he turned to see his own reflection looking back at him from blank dark glasses. "Sir, if you would come with me." A man Lex internally dubbed Agent X propelled him into an empty office and closed the door.

Shaking off the firm grip and turning to face him, Lex narrowed his eyes. "What do you think you're doing?"

Agent X stepped back and folded his arms. If he was trying to be intimidating, he really didn't know who he was dealing with. "Lex Luthor." Okay, so maybe he did know. "I need you to tell me everything you know about that man you were just talking to."

Leaning back against the desk that belonged to some doctor who was likely overworked right now in the aftermath of the tornado, Lex gave him his best cold stare. "My father was injured when the tornado went past our house, so you'll forgive me if he is my priority right now, and not someone I bumped into in the hallway."

Agent X stared at Lex, and he imagined the eyes beneath those opaque lenses narrowing. "I saw you talking to him. What did he say?"

Lex shrugged with as much unconcern as possible. "I think he was here for a friend—probably someone who was also caught in the storm." Pushing off the desk, he stepped forward to look directly into the dark glasses. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I don't think you have the authority to keep me here. I have calls to make."

As he left the room, Lex pulled his phone out. First, the best specialists for his father, then he was going to find out who was in that room. 'She'll be all right,' Kal had said. Lex was going to find out who 'she' was.

* * *

She turned out to be a local girl, Lana Lang, who'd been famous just after the meteor shower. Her picture on the front of Time magazine, along with the story of her parents' deaths, had made her the poster child for the disaster. After her family and friends left, Lex paid her a visit.

As he entered the room, she looked up with a smile that welcomed while also questioning his presence. Extending a hand in greeting, he introduced himself, and her smile faded. Her voice was cool when she said, "We've met."

"I doubt I'd forget meeting you." Besides the famous thing, Lana was absolutely gorgeous.

She looked away, folding her hands on top of the blankets. "You were a little preoccupied at the time." The frost in her voice gave no sign of melting.

He sat in the chair beside the bed and crossed one leg over the other. "I get the feeling I didn't make a great first impression."

She sighed and turned back to meet his eyes, stopping just short of rolling hers. "When I was ten, I went to Metropolis for a riding competition. Your father invited us to stay over. My aunt said you had an indoor pool. When I went to check it out, I found you and a girl skinny-dipping." Now she did roll her eyes. "I think you were teaching her the breast stroke."

He winced. No, not a great first impression. Not at all. "That was you?"

She nodded and raised an eyebrow. "So, what can I do for you, Mr Luthor?"

Wincing again, he uncrossed his legs and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "Please—Lex. Mr Luthor is my father. And I was hoping you might be able to help me track down a mutual friend of ours."

She tilted her head to one side, the ice in her eyes turning to curiosity. "We have a mutual friend?"

He lifted his shoulders slightly, then let them fall. "He saved my life, and I'd like to pay him back, but I only ever caught the one name: Kal."

Her brow furrowed, and she shook her head slowly. "I don't know anyone named Kal."

"No?" He sat up and gestured toward the hallway. "I saw him here yesterday and he mentioned you, said the doctors had told him you were going to be all right."

Her gaze fastened on his, suddenly intense. "What does he look like?"

Ah ha. She did know something. "Tall, broad shoulders, dark hair, eyes like the sky after a rainstorm." Where did that last come from?

But she was only nodding, leaning forward, her hands clasped tightly together. "I didn't know his name, but he pulled me out of Whitney's truck, out of the middle of the tornado, and brought me here." She ducked her head, staring at her hands. "I know it sounds insane, but I could have sworn he was flying."

"No, it doesn't." He reached out and laid a reassuring hand on her arm. "I hit him with a car, and he pulled me out of the river. Not a scratch on him."

Her eyes flickered up to meet his, wide and a bit frightened. "What… _is_ he?"

Leaning back again, Lex spread his hands palm up. "I don't know yet. I was hoping you might have some further information than what I've been able to find."

She shook her head, her gaze apologetic. "I wish I did. Wait." Her eyes brightened. "I might know someone who can help."

"Oh?" Lex had hired multiple investigators and none of them had returned any results. He didn't hold out much hope that a Smallville high school student would know someone with better resources.

Lana nodded eagerly. "Chloe Sullivan. She's the editor of the school paper. She has this whole… thing." She formed a sort of square in the air with her hands. "The Wall of Weird, she calls it. Everything odd that's happened in Smallville since the meteor shower."

Well, that was interesting. He had always suspected that the meteor shower was connected somehow, but none of the investigators he'd hired had found any evidence to link Kal to it. Not that they had found _any_ evidence of Kal, at that. He discovered that he was leaning forward again. "The meteor shower? Does she think that's a catalyst of some kind?"

Her shoulders rose in a shrug, and she laughed. "I don't know—maybe? You really should talk to her."

"I think I will." Standing, he inclined his head. "Thank you."

Her smile much warmer than before, she nodded. "You're welcome."

* * *

At Lex's knock, a cheery voice called out, "Come in!" He stepped into the room, glancing down at the black and white checkerboard floor, then up at the wall covered in clippings.

A teenage girl stood up from behind the desk in the center of the room and stuck out her hand with a grin. Short blonde hair that flipped up at the ends gave her a pixie-like look. "What can I do for you?" she asked.

Taking her hand, he nodded politely. "Miss Sullivan, I presume?"

"That's me." She tipped her head, and the end of her tongue appeared between her teeth to one side. "You must be Lex Luthor."

He spread his hands out to the sides. "Guilty as charged."

Waving a hand airily, she leaned against the side of her desk. "To what do I owe this honour, Mr Luthor?"

"Lex. And I was told you might be able to help me." His gaze returned to the wall, a chaotic mix of newspaper clippings from reputable sources and tabloids, including Lana's Time cover.

Her gaze followed his and she laughed, a bit sheepishly. "I call it the Wall of Weird. It's every strange, bizarre, and unexplained event that's happened in Smallville since the meteor shower. That's when it all began—when the town went schizo."

He turned back to meet her eyes. Despite her flighty demeanour, he was impressed with the work she had put into this project. "Any chance a spacecraft could have landed under cover of the meteors?"

She narrowed her eyes, looking at him a bit suspiciously. "Are you making fun of me, Mr Luthor?"

"Lex. And, no." Stepping closer to the wall, he lifted the bottom of one clipping that read 'Man Gains Finger on Left Hand.' "I am quite willing to believe in miracles, Miss Sullivan."

"If I'm to call you 'Lex,' you'll call me 'Chloe'." She came up to stand beside him and waved a hand in a gesture that encompassed the wall. "My life's work. Lucky for me my boyfriend's an understanding guy." Her laugh was self-deprecating.

Nodding, Lex examined another clipping about a boy who had walked through a wall of fire. "You believe the meteor shower started all of this then?"

She nodded, then shrugged. "It's the only explanation that makes any sense."

"'Eliminate all other factors, and the one that remains must be the truth'," he said quietly.

"Yes!" She turned a dazzling smile on him. "That's it exactly!"

He returned her smile a bit bemusedly. "I'm trying to find someone. Someone I suspect may have arrived during the meteor shower… in a spacecraft."

She searched his eyes for a long moment, then nodded. "I'll do what I can to help. What information do you have?"

She went back to her desk and he followed. "His name is Kal—though I don't know if that's a given name or a family name… or if our naming conventions even apply to him. He has dark hair and eyes like—" He caught himself. "Blue-green eyes." She nodded, making notes on her lime green computer. "Tall—six-three at least," he continued. "Broad shoulders, big hands. Apparently invulnerable."

Her fingers stopped and she looked up at him, frowning. "Invulnerable?"

"It seems that way." He sat on the edge of her desk. "I met him by driving my car through him off the side of a bridge. He pulled me out of the car—saved my life." He nodded at her incredulous expression. "Before I could even thank him, a squad of science fiction rejects dragged him off in a plain white van."

Twisting around in her chair, Chloe gave him a disbelieving look. "Seriously, are you pulling my leg here?"

He nodded at the Wall of Weird. "How much harder is this to believe than all that?"

"Okay." She raised her hands, drawing out the second syllable a little. "He just sounds so cliché, you know? Like a B movie hero: tall, dark, and handsome."

"I hope you're talking about me." Lex turned toward the voice. A dark-skinned teenage boy came in, eyeing Lex with undisguised suspicion. "Hey, Chloe. Who's your friend?"

"Hey, Pete." She stood up and gave him a quick kiss on the lips, then waved at Lex with a nervous laugh. "This is Lex."

Pete's stare slid past suspicion into hostility. "Lex Luthor?"

Lex stood and offered his hand. "'A rose by any other name'."

Ignoring Lex's hand, Pete said angrily, "I think you should go."

"Pete." Chloe's tone was shocked and she turned an apologetic smile on Lex.

"Do you know what Lionel Luthor did to my family, Chloe?" Pete never took his eyes from Lex. "My father always says, 'Never trust a Luthor'."

"Pete!" Chloe slapped his arm. "You can't judge someone for their father's actions."

Lex raised his hands palm forward. "It's okay, Chloe. I've been bald since I was nine. I'm used to people judging me before they get to know me." He tipped his head toward the door. "I have to go anyway. It was nice to meet you. Both of you."

Pete just glared while Chloe bit her lip and looked like she wanted to say something else, but wasn't sure what. Lex smiled at her, nodded at him, and left.

* * *

The Kent farmhouse was strung with coloured lights, and the afternoon sun glinted off the snow—like a Christmas card come to life. Lex pulled the Porsche into the yard, and switched off the ignition, wondering if it was too late to back out now. It had been nearly three months since the tornado, and he really should be chasing Chloe's most recent lead. But, of course, she was with her family for the holidays, and he was here.

Beside him, Lionel asked, his voice laced with asperity, "Are you going to help me, son?"

"Yes, Dad." Feeling a bit like he was going into hostile territory, Lex got out of the car and came around to open his father's door. When Martha Kent had begun to work for Lionel, Lex had looked into her family and associations. While her education and standing in the community was solid, her husband's well-known hatred of the Luthors troubled Lex. When Martha had invited them for Christmas dinner, Lex had wanted to find excuses, but Lionel had not hesitated to accept—for both of them.

Lex navigated the neatly shoveled front walkway with his father on his arm, and knocked on the front door. This was likely going to go down as one of the most awkward dinners he had ever endured.

The door swung open, and Jonathan Kent stood framed in the opening, his eyes narrowing at sight of them. Lex swallowed and raised his chin, proffering the bottle of wine he had brought. "Good afternoon, Mr Kent."

Lex wasn't sure if Lionel's signature shark-grin was more or less terrifying now that his eyes were hidden behind dark glasses. "Merry Christmas, Jonathan! May I call you Jonathan? Martha speaks of you so often I feel that I know you."

"Yes, of course." Jonathan's voice and manner were stiffly polite. He accepted the wine and stepped back. "Please come in."

A cloud of warmth bursting with the aroma of turkey and pumpkin pie folded around them as they stepped inside. Despite Jonathan's demeanour, the house felt welcoming. Place settings for four shared the table with a red poinsettia and slender white tapers that Martha was just lighting. She looked up with a smile, and came to take Lionel's other arm. "Merry Christmas, Lionel. Merry Christmas, Lex."

Lex relinquished his father to her capable hands and and followed them to the table. Jonathan said grace and carved the turkey, and Martha served Lex a heaping plate that he was certain he could never finish. Yet, it was all so delicious, he couldn't help trying.

Conversation was minimal, yet less strained than Lex had expected. Jonathan was polite and Martha was warm and motherly. She reminded him of his own mother before her sickness.

Lex ducked his head to hide the tears that prickled at his eyes. It had been nearly ten years since her death, yet still there were times when it felt like yesterday. Taking a sip of wine, he swallowed past the tightness in his throat, getting himself back under control. It wouldn't do for Lionel to scent weakness.

Lex was trying to finish a slice of the most amazing pumpkin pie when it happened. A crash of splintering wood brought all heads up as a figure stumbled into the house through the broken door.

"Oh, my God!" Martha's hands flew to her mouth as Lex rose from his seat and turned toward the creature.

"What's happening?" Lionel demanded, his sightless eyes searching, one hand outstretched in Lex's general direction. "What is it?"

This was definitely one for Chloe's wall. Long hair partially obscured a face that didn't seem quite human, and the eyes were pools of shadow, reflecting nothing. Strange, though: that hair was clean and free of snarls. Someone cared for this creature.

Those depthless, empty eyes fastened on Lionel. "Luthor!" Its voice was a snarl, barely recognizable as human. "You did this to me!"

Lex barely restrained himself from rolling his eyes. Another mark on the Luthor name. His father was leaving him quite a legacy. He put himself in front of Lionel as the creature stepped forward. Then Jonathan was beside him, a steady, reassuring presence at his shoulder, and behind them, Martha was helping Lionel up from the table, saying something about getting away.

A whoosh of displaced air heralded the arrival of another, who stopped in the doorway, silhouetted against the sun outside. There was something familiar about him and, when he stepped inside, Lex's eyes widened in recognition. Kal put his hand on the creature's shoulder, spinning it toward him. "Byron, don't!"

The creature—Byron—glared at Kal. "You're defending _him_?" It's voice rose with incredulity, then dropped to a growl. "Get out of my way, Kal."

"I'm sorry, Byron." Kal gripped Byron's upper arms and pulled him away from the door. "We've got to get you out of the light."

"No!" Byron wrenched against Kal's grip, throwing his weight one way and then another in a futile attempt to free himself. Kal was unmovable, and Lex found that he was standing slack-jawed, just staring. He shook his head and followed Kal as he half-dragged, half-carried Byron into the Kents' living room where the drawn curtains had left the furniture in shadows.

Voices floated after them, Lionel's querulous demands and Martha's calm reassurances, but Lex ignored them, focused on the two superhumans struggling before him. Out of the direct sunlight, Byron changed, becoming more human and struggling less with each passing second. His knees suddenly gave way and he collapsed on the couch, his eyes fastened on Kal, the emptiness turning to confusion and then fear. "Kal? Did I hurt anyone?"

Kal glanced at Lex, the question in his eyes, and Lex shook his head. A relieved smile curved Kal's lips and he crouched in front of Byron, reaching out to touch his knee with the fingertips of one hand. "It's okay, Byron. Everyone's fine."

A choked sound escaped Byron, and he hunched forward and buried his face in his hands. Kal rose to his feet and turned toward Lex in one smooth motion. "He needs a doctor." Kal's eyes flickered toward the kitchen. "He _doesn't_ need to go back to Cadmus."

Cadmus. Of course. Lex had been so stupid, so blind. He had never thought to look at LuthorCorp in his search for Kal. Now, it was so obvious. He took a step toward Kal. "Neither do you."

Kal's smile was like the sun bursting out from behind the clouds, brilliant and blinding. He leaned toward Lex, whispering as if sharing a confidence, "Only if they catch me."

A surprised laugh escaped Lex and he shook his head in disbelief. Jerking his head toward Byron, he asked, "Are you sure a doctor would know what to do for him?"

"No." Byron stood up and put a hand on Kal's shoulder. "I have to go back, Kal. You know I do. I'm a danger to everyone out here." A small smile touched his lips. "_You_ don't have to go back, though."

"No, you don't," Lex agreed. "You've saved my life twice now. Let me return the favour: let me help you."

Kal's smile had vanished when Byron was speaking, but now returned, only a little subdued. "I appreciate the offer, but what can you do?"

"Lionel Luthor is my father and I used to work for him at LuthorCorp. I know his tricks and how to thwart him." He laid a hand on Kal's other shoulder and squeezed a bit, looking up into the windswept sky of his eyes. "Please let me make amends for what my father has done to you."

"'Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments'." Byron's voice was soft and Lex turned to face him, almost surprised that he was still there. Smiling crookedly, Byron said, "'Who ever loved that loved not at first sight?'"

"Shakespeare." Lex smiled, impressed. "They let you read?"

Byron ducked his head. "Yeah. It's not so bad. And at least I can't hurt anybody." His shoulders lifted, then fell. "It's best if I go back. Could you ask your father to call the extraction team? If he hasn't already called."

Lex turned back to Kal. "We need to get you out of here first. Do you trust me?"

Kal's intense gaze held Lex's for several long seconds, then he nodded. "I do."

Leaving Kal and Byron in the living room, Lex returned to the kitchen. Three heads turned to face him: Martha gently questioning and Jonathan suspicious, while Lionel kept his expression hidden behind his dark glasses. "So, Dad," Lex drawled, "have you already called your zookeepers?"

Lionel's mouth fell open and he sputtered for a few seconds before managing, "What are you talking about, Lex?"

"Byron would like to go back to his cage now. He asked me to have you call him a ride." Lex stared unblinking into the golden lenses that obscured his father's eyes.

"His _cage?!_" There was a wealth of offended anger in Jonathan's tone, and Lex had to bite the inside of his bottom lip to keep from smiling. If his plan was to work, he needed to use that anger to help Kal.

Turning toward Jonathan, Lex dipped his head slightly forward. "To be fair, Byron didn't use the word 'cage.' He only indicated that he is being held at Cadmus Labs." Spreading his hands out to the sides, Lex continued, "He believes that he is a danger to everyone if he is not returned there."

Martha's voice was soft, with a thread of worry that reassured Lex. "And what about the other boy? Have they been keeping him in a cage as well?"

"Yes." Lex faced his father again, his voice icy. "And Kal is no danger to anyone. This is the second time he has saved my life."

Lionel pursed his lips, and the spiderwebbing of lines around his glasses tightened. Behind those dark lenses, he was narrowing his eyes. "No danger? You have no idea what you are talking about, Lex."

"He saved your life too, Dad." Lex pulled his phone out. "I'm sure the Metropolis DA would be very interested in taking a tour of Cadmus, especially the cells where you hold minors under duress."

A muscle jumped in Lionel's jaw and Lex suppressed a triumphant smile. Lionel pushed himself to his feet, brushing off Martha's offers of assistance. "I can see that this is very important to you, son."

He reached out a hand, and Lex was tempted to ignore it and let him fumble awkwardly, but he had won; he could afford to be kind. He accepted Lionel's hand and endured his iron grip.

Tugging Lex toward him, Lionel put his lips to his ear, but didn't lower his voice in the slightest. "He won't be staying in the mansion, though."

Lex pulled back, his lip curling in disgust. Trust Lionel Luthor to find some way to have the last word. And, since he still held title to the Luthor Mansion, there was nothing Lex could do about it.

"He'll stay with us." Martha's voice cut through the tension that swirled around the two Luthors, and Lex lifted his head, a genuine smile on his lips. He had hoped that the Kents would offer to open their home, since the mansion wouldn't have been a good idea even if Lionel hadn't said anything.

Jonathan's eyes flickered over to meet Martha's, and he nodded. "We have plenty of room, and he can help out around the farm."

"Well." Lionel pulled away from Lex. "You'll want to see him settled, of course. Don't worry about me. I'll have a car take me home." Martha followed him outside, her voice calm and soothing. Perhaps she could prevent him sulking, but Lex found that he didn't really much care.

Turning his back on his father, Lex met Jonathan's steady gaze. "Thank you, Mr Kent."

An actual smile curved Jonathan's lips and he jerked his head toward the living room. "Would you like to introduce me?"


End file.
